There were few surprises in the European Commission?s 2010 progress report for Turkey, which was published on November 9th. On the issue that has most divided Turkey over the past year?the effect of September?s constitutional reforms on the judiciary?the Commission?s report formalises the cautiously optimistic line that many international observers have taken. First, it welcomes the reforms as ?a step in the right direction.? Second, it qualifies that welcome by noting that the ?implementation of the amended constitutional provisions through legislation, in line with European standards, is key.?

German-born Mesut Ozil’s footballing brilliance earned him headlines and wealth, but in the Ruhr, where his family settled, the future for immigrants is anything but rosy

The locals call it “Mesut’s ape-cage”, the fenced-off pitch on Olga Strasse in Gelsenkirchen where the German midfielder Mesut Ozil learned to kick a football. His is a success story that has inspired the German nation, earning him the nickname “multi-kulti kicker” for being the first national player from an immigrant background to have made it internationally, in a journey that has taken him from a scruffy, grey playground in the Ruhr valley, once a booming but now rundown part of the nation’s industrial heartland, to the heights of Real Madrid football club.

I meant to post this during the week. I received this via email from the Centre for the Study of Wider Europe in NUI Maynooth, during the week and some readers may find this interesting.

To coincide with the visit to Dublin of Mr Egemen Bağiş, Turkey?s Chief Negotiator with the European Union, The Centre for the Study of Wider Europe (www.widereurope.ie ) at the National University of Ireland Maynooth is to host a one day conference on 18 November 2010 on Turkey?s relationship with the EU.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek (R) greets former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash during independence day celebrations in breakaway northern Cyprus, in Nicosia November 15, 2010. Turkey is the only country to recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which unilaterally seceded in 1983.? Read more »REUTERS/Andreas Manolis

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was again on Turkish, US and world news in October 2010: the 2010 general elections in BiH, the visit of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the region and a forthcoming movie, a fictional ?love story? between a Serbian man and a tortured Bosnian woman that was directed by Angelina Jolie.

Rosa Öktem holds a dual degree from the universities of Cologne and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and an LL.M. in Human Rights Law from Queen?s University of Belfast. After her studies she worked at the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia and the European Parliament before joining the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (Türkiye Insan Haklari Vakfi) in 2008. Since June 2010 she is also a council member of the Turkish Green Party (Yesiller Partisi).

The opposition party’s Brussels representative dispatches an 18-page report to party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, briefing him about the EU executive’s annual document on the country’s progress in membership negotiations. The CHP report proposes a national reconciliation committee be established like the one in Croatia, where opposition parties are represented to swiftly pass constitutional reforms required for membership

Turkish Cypriot Federal Assembly in its extraordinary meeting on November 15, 1983 unanimously voted for the foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and ratified its independence statement. This Monday, Twenty Seven years later on this occasion the Turkish Cypriot leader said that he was wondering what kind of steps the international community would take if the two parties in Cyprus could not reach any agreement. Good question.Mavi Boncuk

President Derviş Eroğlu of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said he wanted to know the steps the international community would take in case of any disagreement between two parties in Cyprus.